Spain seizes seven tons of cocaine from underground containers

Spanish authorities said on Monday they had seized seven tons of cocaine stashed in sea freight containers installed underneath a farm, arresting three suspected smugglers.

The Civil Guard police said they launched the operation on Friday when they detected two suspicious speedboats at the mouth of the Guadalquivir River.

The boats were tracked to a rural estate in the municipality of Coria del Rio, south of the city of Seville, where the suspects stored the drugs in two containers hidden underground.

The Civil Guard said it was the largest seizure of cocaine smuggled into southern Spain by speedboat.

They impounded three weapons, including an AK-47 assault rifle, and two stolen vehicles.

Spain is one of the main gateways to Europe for international drug traffickers due to its proximity to Morocco, a top cannabis producer, and close ties with former colonies in Latin America.

Two major seizures in one day

Separately, Portuguese authorities seized nearly 3.5 tons of cocaine hidden in a shipment of bananas in a cargo ship arriving from Latin America, police said Monday.

The operation, carried out with Britain's National Crime Agency, discovered the stash at the port of Setubal, just south of Lisbon, police investigations coordinator Vitor Ananias told local media.

"Given the large number of pallets carrying bananas being transported by the boat, finding the drugs was possible only thanks to long and meticulous work by investigators," police said in a statement.

No arrests were made but the investigation is continuing, it said.